How Screwed Up Are Our Priorities?

[SkiSchoolPro]

> @leezer99 said:

> ...If you look at the highest paid public employees in each state it's pretty much your top tier college football coaches taking the top spot. In 31 of the 50 states a college football coach is the highest paid public employee followed by 8 states where the basketball coach is the top paid public employee. In my state the top college football coach makes $11m while the governor makes just over $100,000.

>

I'm as guilty as the next guy, spending many hours each year hitting a little ball and sliding down the side of a mountain.

Other than golf, what things do you spend too much time on? What things do you wish you put more of an effort into? How can we make the "important things" have a higher priority in our lives?

 

 

 

[justasgood]

Very......

[N0rs3man]

Well if you asked my wife... well maybe another time LOL. But ya golf takes alot of time

[SkiSchoolPro]

> @N0rs3man said:

> Well if you asked my wife... well maybe another time LOL. But ya golf takes alot of time

 

I do think that socializing, recreation, exercise, healthy competition and relaxation are important...golf allows for all of these, so I am not trying to pick specifically on golf. With that said, I do think a lot of our time/money/energy go into things that are really not that important in the scheme of things.

 

I have enjoyed watching College football at times and my wife says that not only is football the American Way, but governors don't need to be paid more as they get compensated in ways other than their salaries...still I question paying a football coach 100 x more than the head of the State he coaches in. Don't we want to attract the top talent to lead us in excelling at things more important than the BCS (or FEC)??

[HatsForBats]

Making something you enjoy a big part of your life does not seem like screwing up ones priorities to me.

 

College spending on coaches is out of hand due to the TV deals and maybe partly because of the inflated tuitions. I don't care what they get paid as I can just turn it off and/or get rid of cable TV (done). I care more about how much the colleges, kids sports, drug companies, health insurance companies, politicians etc. are sucking out of the economy.

[farmer]

In Texas, high school football coaches frequently make more than the governor. In the smaller classifications, the head football coach is usually also the AD, so he double dips.

[kmay__]

It is definitely wild from my perspective as a Canadian how big college and even high school sports are in the US. Our high school you could barely get the lines painted on the football field, and it was simply that, a big uneven lumpy grass field behind the school. And I went to a fairly new school in a relatively wealthy community.

 

I was huge into mountain biking for 4-5 years before I got back into golf, another hobby which can take up a ton of your time and a ton of your money on expensive high end bike parts and gear. Nowadays golf and some hobby woodworking take up most of my free time, picked up an old honda streetbike for a project to occupy my time over this winter. But I'm a single guy who will always be on my own so lots of free time outside of house work ect. Need to start filling some of my time with more exercise as golf and work is all I get and if I wanna live past 50 I need to get my sh*t together sooner than later. I'm not sure how long I really wanna be around anyways tho, being alone and miserable doesn't encourage you to want to live longer if ya know what I mean.

[Murphy76]

> @kmay__ said:

> It is definitely wild from my perspective as a Canadian how big college and even high school sports are in the US. Our high school you could barely get the lines painted on the football field, and it was simply that, a big uneven lumpy grass field behind the school. And I went to a fairly new school in a relatively wealthy community.

>

> I was huge into mountain biking for 4-5 years before I got back into golf, another hobby which can take up a ton of your time and a ton of your money on expensive high end bike parts and gear. Nowadays golf and some hobby woodworking take up most of my free time, picked up an old honda streetbike for a project to occupy my time over this winter. But I'm a single guy who will always be on my own so lots of free time outside of house work ect. Need to start filling some of my time with more exercise as golf and work is all I get and if I wanna live past 50 I need to get my sh*t together sooner than later. I'm not sure how long I really wanna be around anyways tho, being alone and miserable doesn't encourage you to want to live longer if ya know what I mean.

 

Wow. Dark. I hope things get better for you.

[MtlJeff]

At the risk of sending this down the wrong path, it just is what it is. If you believe in free economy than this is what happens because college football is immensely popular and generates billions of dollars of revenue.

 

The freakonomics guys have argued in the past that some professions , like government or military, should get much higher salaries, because that in turn would generate higher quality applicants. But that money has to come from somewhere. My guess is most people wouldn't want to pay higher taxes if they knew it would go to an elected official making 10M a year. However if you got a genius in politics rather than starting a tech company....maybe our lives would be better. But it's a big leap for many and they'd rather spend on college football LOL

 

I'm satisfied with my priorities are overall.

[North Butte]

My life is pretty well balanced with one glaring exception. And that exception is not golf.

 

It's my activity on this forum. Periodically I dial it back a little but eventually it's back to a couple hour a day habit. On the one hand I don't have any other online presence or do social media or anything like that. And I don't hang out drinking with buddies or any of the other stereotypical stuff people do to socialize and unwind. But it adds up to quite a few hours a week that could more re-prioritized on something meaningful or useful.

[DFS PFD]

One could still argue the governor is overpaid...

[aenemated]

All I have to worry about is myself and my dogs. Tried the "married" thing once - wasn't my jam. And at no point in my life did I ever want kids.

 

So, really, my priorities are absolutely fine. I work, I build my own little inventions, I play golf, I write and record music. Pretty much all I ever really wanted to do.

[Hawkeye77]

Is this thread about golf or about quoting some political post from another thread to start a thread about that thread?

[SNIPERBBB]

> @MtlJeff said:

> At the risk of sending this down the wrong path, it just is what it is. If you believe in free economy than this is what happens because college football is immensely popular and generates billions of dollars of revenue.

>

> The freakonomics guys have argued in the past that some professions , like government or military, should get much higher salaries, because that in turn would generate higher quality applicants. But that money has to come from somewhere. My guess is most people wouldn't want to pay higher taxes if they knew it would go to an elected official making 10M a year. However if you got a genius in politics rather than starting a tech company....maybe our lives would be better. But it's a big leap for many and they'd rather spend on college football LOL

>

> I'm satisfied with my priorities are overall.

Politicians in general shouldnt be getting more than the lowest ranked enlisted soldier gets. Put the "service" back into public service. And shouldnt get a pension.

 

[dlygrisse]

To me golf is modern evolution of our need to go traveling through the country side and to wack things with a club. Early man did this to feed his family, we do this because we can stop at the local pub on the way home and get dinner. No doubt that golf is a modern pastime, that not everyone can afford. But all sports are essentially the same thing, this one just costs more than some others, but not as much as some, depending on your locale.

I don't feel guilty one bit, I work hard and enjoy some play time with my buddies. There is nothing wrong with this as long as you fulfill lifes important obligations.

[dlygrisse]

I don't get the point about politicians not making more. They are public servants, and most of them get tons of perks that aren't part of their salary. Are there any poor members of the Senate or Congress? nope, they get their palms greased all the time. If anything they make too much money because they are corrupt.

[SkiSchoolPro]

> @dlygrisse said:

> I don't get the point about politicians not making more. They are public servants, and most of them get tons of perks that aren't part of their salary. Are there any poor members of the Senate or Congress? nope, they get their palms greased all the time. If anything they make too much money because they are corrupt.

My wife said the same thing...of course, we can always hope that Politicians will act on behalf of the people they serve rather than their interests (and those lining their pockets)

 

> @SNIPERBBB said:

> > @MtlJeff said:

> > At the risk of sending this down the wrong path, it just is what it is. If you believe in free economy than this is what happens because college football is immensely popular and generates billions of dollars of revenue.

> >

> > The freakonomics guys have argued in the past that some professions , like government or military, should get much higher salaries, because that in turn would generate higher quality applicants. But that money has to come from somewhere. My guess is most people wouldn't want to pay higher taxes if they knew it would go to an elected official making 10M a year. However if you got a genius in politics rather than starting a tech company....maybe our lives would be better. But it's a big leap for many and they'd rather spend on college football LOL

> >

> > I'm satisfied with my priorities are overall.

> Politicians in general shouldnt be getting more than the lowest ranked enlisted soldier gets. Put the "service" back into public service. And shouldnt get a pension.

>

@SNIPERBBB Maybe in an ideal world, but don't you think that is a recipe for attracting people who have money, their own personal interests to protect or are looking to get their palms greased? Why would a young person with talent and student debts choose public service if it meant a life of poverty with no pension?

@MtlJeff I think you have hit the nail on the head. I agree that it would be a big leap of faith thinking a politician could make a difference, but the reality is that they can help raise our overall level or sink it, even if we can't see this on a daily basis. OTOH, College Football is a zero sum game...yes, 1 school might be able to spend more and improve their record, but that will result in losses for the schools that they play. You can argue that it is nice to see a team that plays at an exceptional level, and good coaches raise the overall level of the game, but my guess is most people draw satisfaction in their team winning, or drinking beer, rather than a higher level of play (that still results in half the teams losing).

 

[farmer]

kmay, get some help. Therapy and meds would be a good start.

[Murphy76]

> @aenemated said:

> All I have to worry about is myself and my dogs. Tried the "married" thing once - wasn't my jam. And at no point in my life did I ever want kids.

>

> So, really, my priorities are absolutely fine. I work, I build my own little inventions, I play golf, I write and record music. Pretty much all I ever really wanted to do.

 

Wow that is spooky. You just described my life exactly. I knew I had a twin somewhere out there.....